Internet and software giant Google is updating its augmented reality SDK so dual-camera smartphones can capture better depth information. As noted by Android Police , the latest update to the Google Play Services app for AR, the way Google deploys ARCore features , now states “Dual camera stereo depth on supported devices” in the changelog.
For now, it’s clear that support will be limited to Google’s own Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, both of which launched in 2019. The list of compatible ARCore devices on Google’s developer site says dual camera support will be available in the coming weeks.
Specifically, this means it won’t see the benefits of the Pixel 5 and 4a 5G, both of which are 2020 Pixel phones with dual cameras. This may be because their secondary cameras are ultra-wide rather than telephotos of the Pixel 4 and 4 XL, which may have implications for how they can produce more detailed depth maps.
In any case, it’s just another result of Google’s indecision about Pixel camera lenses. The company has long insisted it only needs a single camera due to computational features like Super Res Zoom on the Pixel 3, then confusingly adding a telephoto lens to the Pixel 4 anyway, then stepping back and on the Pixel 5. replaced it with an ultra-wide lens.
